Chapter 37

CHAPTER 37

“So, Ciara, I hear ye’re becoming quite the swordswoman,” Thora said.

“She was already well skilled,” Magnus interrupted.

They sat at the long table in the hall enjoying a fine meal and the warmth of the giant hearth at the end of the chamber. Serving women bustled in and out of the hall, plying them with more food than they could possibly eat. But after a long, taxing day, Ciara was famished. She indulged in everything, filling her belly with the amazing variety of foods. She would ordinarily decry the excess, but she knew the MacLeods fed their workers as well as the people in the village outside their walls with whatever was not eaten. They ensured nobody went hungry.

Ciara gave him a small smile. “But Calum is refinin’ me technique. His skill with a blade in his hand is amazin’. Even better than me own teachers.”

“’Tis why he is our maister of arms,” Domhnall noted.

After her workout, Ciara had gotten herself cleaned up and had put on one of the fresh dresses Enya had provided for. It was blue velvet with long sleeves and a bustline that was lower than she was comfortable with but still far more decent than the gowns Edmund Fairfax had provided for their wedding day. It showed a bit more flesh than she liked, but the dress she wore made her feel elegant rather than like a harlot.

What she liked most about it though, was the way Magnus kept stealing glances at her. It was as if couldn’t stop himself. As if his eyes were somehow uncontrollably drawn to her. It made her feel beautiful. Desired. It made her feel things she never knew she could feel and things she didn’t understand. But she liked it, the way his attention made her feel. It was a heady feeling. And that was a problem for her.

Although she’d gotten quite comfortable at Dunvegan, Ciara knew there would come a time when she was going to have to leave. She couldn’t stay there forever. Magnus had said it was the safest place for her and that Fairfax would find some other pretext to attack, if that’s what he wanted to do, whether she was behind their walls or not. But the longer she stayed there and the closer she got to the siblings, the more she feared what would become of them if Fairfax attacked the castle to get her back.

She knew enough about the man to know he was cruel. Brutal. And he would leave no survivors. The mere thought of any of the MacLeods being put to the sword because of her sent a bolt of pain through her heart that was unbearable. She would not be the reason Fairfax and her father used to kill the MacLeods.

Ciara had kept her plans to herself, but she had been quietly checking in with the guards around the castle, listening for any gossip that gave her a hint as to what was happening. Magnus didn’t want her worrying herself with what was happening and had repeatedly told her to put it out of her mind. That whatever happened was going to happen and that she was not the reason for any of it. She disagreed. And the consensus among those she’d spoken with was that if the English were going to attack Dunvegan, it would likely be in the spring, when the weather was better, and they could prepare for a siege. They told her very few battles were fought in the cold and snow.

It had made her feel somewhat better but had hardly reassured her completely. Fairfax was not a conventional man. Nor was he a patient one. She knew he did things that defied the norms. And that when he wanted something, he did not wait for clearer, warmer weather. He went after it and did not stop until he had it. The man was relentless and single-minded. It was one of the things that terrified Ciara the most about him.

“Are you all right, dear?” Katherine asked.

“Aye. I’m fine,” she replied. “Just tired from trainin’ all day.”

Katherine looked at her as if she knew Ciara wasn’t being fully truthful, but seemed to want to respect her privacy and didn’t press her for the details.

“Ciara, why dinnae ye show us what ye learned from Calum today?” Kai called from the other end of the table.

She laughed and shook her head. “I dinnae think so.”

“Come, lass,” he replied.

Kai got to his feet then ran to a corner of the hall and picked up a pair of wooden training swords. He came back and handed her one, a wide grin on his face.

“I’d rather nae, if it’s all the same tae ye,” she said.

“Come on,” Kai prodded. “It’ll be fun.”

Magnus glared at his brother. “She said she daesnae want tae play yer bleedin’ game. Leave off.”

The laughter that had filled the hall tapered off and the mood grew chilly and tense. Magnus glared at his brother and Kai looked back at him with a surprised expression on his face.

“I didnae mean tae?—”

“Ye should learn tae take nay as an answer instead of pressin’ like ye dae,” Magnus growled.

“’Tis all right,” Ciara said and quickly jumped to her feet. “’Tis all right.”

Magnus looked at her as she took one of the wooden blades from Kai and offered him a smile, trying to lighten the mood.

“Ye dinnae have tae play me braither’s game,” Magnus said.

“One thing Maister Calum said was I’ll only get better with practice, eh?”

“That’s the spirit,” Kai said.

“Come,” Ciara said. “Let me embarrass ye in front of yer family.”

Magnus’ face darkened but the rest of the siblings roared with laughter and applause, the mood in the hall instantly lightening. Ciara and Kai walked to the open area in front of the hearth and took their positions. He flashed her a cocky grin.

“Are ye ready then, lass?”

“Are ye ready is the question ye should be askin’.”

“Oohs” and laughter echoed around the hall as the MacLeods all turned their attention to Ciara and Kai. She closed her eyes and took a breath, getting focused. Calum’s fighting style had been like a dance, the movements fluid and graceful. Of course, she had a long way to go to master the form but between what she’d learned earlier and her prior training, she felt confident she’d at least put on an entertaining match for the family.

“All right, lass,” Kai teased. “Ready when ye are.”

Ciara grinned as she and Kai began to circle one another. Kai moved swiftly leading with a slash that Ciara flowed around easily, knocking his blade out of the way. She spun around, slapping him on the backside with the flat of the blade the way Calum had done to her, drawing raucous laughter from the siblings. He turned and looked at her, shocked that she’d scored a hit. But he laughed along with his siblings.

“All right,” he said. “I suppose I need tae get serious now, eh?”

“Aye. Seems like ye should.”

They circled each other once more before wading in again. The echo of their wooden blades clacking rang in her ears as they struck and parried each other’s blows. Ciara took a step back and snuck a glance at Magnus. His gaze was locked onto her, watching her every movement closely, desire glittering darkly in his eyes. Ciara swallowed hard, the desire she saw in his face matching what was flowing through her body.

A wild cry burst from Kai’s mouth as he charged in. Moving slowly, almost sensuously, Ciara slipped to the side then, using a tactic her old tutor had shown her, kicked the man in the back of the knee. Kai grunted and toppled forward, landing on his belly with a hard thud. Ciara moved quickly, straddling the fallen man as he rolled over. She put the tip of her wooden blade against his throat and smiled.

“Ye’re dead,” she said.

The siblings all jumped to their feet applauding wildly as they laughed. Kai gave her a sheepish grin as she helped him to his feet.

“Well played, lass,” he said. “Well played.”

“Thank ye,” she replied with a grin.

Ciara turned to Magnus who sat at the far end of the table silently drinking from his cup of wine. His eyes met hers over the rim of his cup and she shuddered as a sense of pleasure rippled through her. She gave him a small smile, which he returned. There was something in that smile though, that made Ciara’s heart skip a beat as some silent bit of communication passed between them. She wasn’t sure what they were saying, but it made the fire in her belly burn even warmer.

Swallowing down the knot of emotion in her throat, Ciara turned away quickly. She couldn’t let herself get more attached to him than she already was. It would make leaving even harder than it was already going to be.